Annual Check-Up (for Sales!)

As we continue to work through an extremely unique historical event in the form of a global pandemic, we find it is also a tremendous opportunity to do a check-up or analysis on the effectiveness of your sales approach.

Here are some items to evaluate:

1) Have you turned to some form of social media as a means to promote and build your business? Did you seek professional help or has it been a “do it yourself” effort? How effective has it been?

2) Have your sales representatives been active using social media networking platforms (i.e. LinkedIn* or Alignable*) to do personal brand building and prospecting? Have you provided training in this regard to increase their effectiveness?

3) Have you given access to some form of a video platform for your sales organization so that they can do video calls and online presentations?

4) In the absence of face to face selling, has your sales organization been trained in doing effective virtual selling?

5) Have you given thought to inside sales representatives being a bigger part of your future sales model (either starting full time inside sales reps or adding more inside sales reps)?

6) Have you increased your capability around ecommerce? Have your ecommerce sales shown a dramatic increase as the buying world accelerates to more online transactions?

7) Have you adjusted the performance objectives or metrics in your performance evaluations for your sales representatives (rather than pursuing growth over previous year; you have set alternative goals for the long-term development of your business, for example the number of video presentations done, the number of new LinkedIn* connections, training or self development milestones achieved)?

8) Have you analyzed your business for examples of success (specific products or customer profiles that are performing well) and shifted your focus and resources in that direction?

9) Have you used the business disruption of the pandemic to give you a very unique opportunity for insights into the character of your sales representatives? How have they been in terms of exhibiting adaptability, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and drive when so many have shrugged their shoulders and said there is nothing they can do?

Conclusion: The world of B2B sales had already been shifting and evolving prior to the pandemic. The pandemic with its resulting forced adaptations has accelerated this movement. Have you adjusted? How suited is your approach to sales to the new reality? We can help you evaluate the effectiveness of your approach!